12 Jyotirlinga of India

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Ghoomophiro

Jyotirlingas are the divine places of Lord Shiva where he resides in different forms. The meaning of this particular word also resembles its meaning. The word ‘Jyoti’ means light which is also called ‘radiance’ and lingam or linga means ‘sign’ or ‘image’. So the word Jyotir-linga means ‘Radiant signs of Lord Shiva’. There are currently 12 main Jyotirlingas in India and there is a story behind the formation of all these Jyotirlingas.

The Story behind the formation of Jyotirlinga

In Shiv Purana you will hear an incident that took place thousands of years ago. When Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma were discussing who is supreme and that discussion turns into an argument. Then lord Shiva appears there to settle their argument. He made the infinite pillar of light appear there and that pillar pierced all the three worlds when it appears. Then lord Shiva told both of them that whoever finds the light first will be the supreme God.

They both went in the opposite direction and after a while, they both didn’t find the end of the pillar. So Lord admitted defeat and told Lord Shiva he couldn’t find the end while Lord Brahma lied saying he did find the end of the pillar. Seeing him lying, Lord Shiva got furious and cursed Lord Brahma. That no one is going to worship Lord Brahma even though he has created this entire universe.

In that anger, the Lord Shiva infinite pillar of light appeared on the earth in 64 places in the form of Lingodbhava. From those 64 places, only 12 are majors, and they now are known as the 12 main Jyotirlingas of India. In each Jyotirlinga Lord Shiva resides in some form of deity and blesses all the people.

12 Jyotirlinga of India

Somnath Jyotirlinga

• Location: Gujarat

• Deity: Somnath

• Timing: Every day from 6 am to 9 pm
• Nearest railway station: Somnath railway station

The Somnath Jyotirlinga, in Gujarat it’s located in Prabhas-Kshetra. This is the first Jyotirlinga, which is why it makes the most pilgrimage sites in this list. There is a story behind how this Jyotirlinga formed. The son of Lord Brahma Prajapati Daksha had 27 daughters that married the moon. The moon was paying attention to the most beautiful daughter of them all named Rohini.

Prajapati Daksha after seeing the lack of affection from the Moon towards his other daughters. He got angry and cursed him that his light and the beauty that he is so proud of will get lost. So to remove that curse The Moon worshipped Lord Shiva for a long time in this place and asked him to remove the curse. Since that time Lord Shiva resides here in the form of  Lord Somnath.

Nageshwar

• Location: Dwarka

• Deity: Nageshwar

• Timing: Every day from 5 am to 9 pm
• Nearest railway station: Dwarka railway station

This Jyotirlinga situated in the beautiful city of Dwarka. Which is also famous for being the house of Lord Krishna as well. The Jyotirlinga of Dwarka gets visited by thousands of people every year. They come to see the statue of Lord Shiva which is 25 m tall, the garden and especially the view that you get of the Arabian sea from there. Here in this temple, Lord Shiva resides in the form of Nageshwar.

Bhimashankar

• Location: Pune

• Deity: Bhimashankar

• Timing: Every day from 4:30 am to 12 pm and 4 pm to 9:30 pm
• Nearest railway station: Karjat station

This shrine of Lord Shiva where he resides here in the form of Bhimashankar. It’s located on the Banks of River Bhima, and there is a structure or you can say a sculpture of Lord Shiva. That sculpture worshipped by thousands of people. This beautiful shrine was built by Bhima who was the son of Kumbhakarna. In this amazing place at the time of Maha Shivratri, everyone celebrates it with great energy and enthusiasm. Also, the best thing about this place is that it shows the bond between Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati as there is a Parvati temple close by this temple.

Trimbakeshwar

• Location: Maharashtra

• Deity: Trimbakeshwar

• Timing: Every day from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm
• Nearest railway station: Igatpuri railway station

This temple situated at Brahmagiri mountain which is in the place of the origin of Godavari River. Also known as Gautami Ganga because Gautami Rishi prayed Lord Shiva to live here. So after that Lord Shiva resides there in the form of Trimbakeshwar. The best thing about this shrine is the formation and how it’s built from the inside. You can see three pillars inside this divine shrine that resemble the 3 principal dignities of the universe Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva.

Grishneshwar

• Location: Aurangabad

• Deity: Grishneshwar

• Timing:  Every day from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm
• Nearest railway station: Daulatabad Train station

This divine shrine located near the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves. One of the best things that you will see in this shrine is how massive and impressive the architecture of the temple is build. There are many Gods and Goddesses craved in the structure of this red stone temple. The temple that  Ahilyabai Holkar built in the past. Now the locals there call this as Gru Someswara and Kusum Eswarar. There are many other things that you can find by going there and hearing from the locals.

Vaidyanath

• Location: Jharkhand

• Deity: Vaidyanath

• Timing: Every day from 4 am to 3:30 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm
• Nearest railway station: Jasidih Junction

This divine temple in Jharkhand has an interesting story behind it. The most ‘Gyani Pandit’ Ravana who worshipped Lord Shiva for his entire life, he one day asked Shiva to come with him to Lanka. Then Lord Shiva told him to take this Shiv-Linga and make sure you don’t drop it or put it down anywhere. If you can do that then only I will come to your Lanka with you. When he was carrying that Shiv-Linga, Lord Vishnu tried different magics and in many clever ways made him put the Shiv-Linga down. Since that time at that place, Lord Shiva resides there in the form of Vaidyanath.

Mahakaleshwar

• Location: Madhya Pradesh

• Deity: Mahakal

• Timing: Every day from 4 am to 11 pm
• Nearest railway station: Ujjain Junction

This divine shrine of Lord Shiva located in Mahakaleshwar was made by a 5-year-old kid named Shikar. That kid was inspired by the King of Ujjain. Since that time Lord Shiva resides here in the form of Mahakal and also this is one of the 7 Mukti-Sthal in the whole of India. The word Mukti means freedom of your souls from your body. So this is the place to go and experience the nerve ending the life of eternity.

Omkareshwar

• Location: Madhya Pradesh

• Deity: Omkareshwar

• Timing: Every day from 5 am to 10 pm
• Nearest railway station: Omkareshwar road train station

The shrine of Omkareshwar which also means ‘the sound of Lord Shiva which is Om’ this Om word is often used in many mantras and to mediate all over the world. So this shrine is located in Madhya Pradesh at an Island called Shivapuri. It’s believed that thousands of years ago in this place there was a war between Gods and Demons. So all the Gods prayed to Lord Shiva to help them with the victory in this war. So Lord Shiva helped them while coming there in the form of Omkareshwar. Since that time he resides here as Omkareshwar.

Kashi Vishwanath

• Location: Uttar Pradesh

• Deity: Vishwanath

• Timing: Every day from 2:30 am to 11 pm
• Nearest railway station: Varanasi Junction

This divine temple which is also called The Golden Temple of the city Varanasi. Situated in the beautiful state of Uttar Pradesh. The temple was the creation of Ahilyabai Holkar. The devotees believed that this is one of the first Jyotirlinga where the impact of God was experienced. So in this temple, Lord Shiva is worshipped and resides in the form of Kashi Vishwanath. This particular temple is believed where God blesses you, so you can have happiness and liberation.

Kedarnath

• Location: Uttarakhand

• Deity: Lord Kedarnath

• Timing: May to June
• Nearest railway station: Rishikesh after that you need to change many buses and even walk in the end.

In the Himalayan Range at 1200 ft lies this amazing temple of Lord Kedarnath. This shrine is also a part of 4 Dhams and to get here you must walk a lot and there are things that you need to consider before coming here. The temple only opens from May to June as the weather conditions make it hard to visit any other month. You have to cross both holy rivers of India which are Ganga and Yamuna to get here. It’s believed that if you bath the Shiv-Linga here with the water from Ganga and Yamuna it will help you get rid of your problems, and bring you inner peace.

Rameshwaram

• Location: Tamil Nadu

• Deity: Ramanathswamy

• Timing: Every day from 5 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 9 pm
• Nearest railway station: Rameswaram railway station

In the city of Rameswaram, this amazing temple with a more amazing story is located. This is one of the most visited temples in the Southern part of India. It is believed that when Lord Rama had to cross the ocean by building the Rama Setu bridge to get to Lanka he worshipped Lord Shiva by making a Shiv-Linga till the time he rested in this temple. That Shiv-Linga still exists and is also named after Lord Rama. This divine shrine is also considered as one of the 4 Dhams in India.

Mallikarjuna

• Location: Andhra Pradesh

• Deity: Shiva, Parvati, and Bhramaramba

• Timing: Every day from 4:30 am to 10 pm

• Nearest railway station: Markapur railway station

In the state of Andhra Pradesh at the top of the Shri Sails Mountain, this divine shrine of Lord Shiva is situated. Once you get there you will be fascinated with the architecture and the sculpture of this holy shrine. This shrine is also listed on the 52 Shakti Peethas list of India. In this temple deities like Shiva, Parvati, and Bhramaramba resides. So if you look at it this is for sure one of the best 12 Jyotirlinga in India.